International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation holds exhibition as part of 10th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States

Within the framework of the 10th anniversary Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held in Astana, the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation organized an exhibition "XIX century Cultural Heritage of the Turkic World through the Yildiz Palace Photograph Collection". The exhibition featured photographs of unique pearls of the Ottoman Empire preserved in the archives of the Yildiz Palace, reflecting samples of the material and spiritual heritage of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Hungary.

Opening the exhibition, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva noted that for the first time this project was implemented by the organization in January of this year in Istanbul regarding to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye. She emphasized that at the exhibition held at the National Palaces Dolmabahçe Art Gallery, a congratulatory letter sent to the event from the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was read.

Stressing that the holding of the exhibition in Astana on the eve of the 10th anniversary Summit of the Organization of Turkic States has symbolic significance, Gunay Afandiyeva underlined that the project plays the role of a bridge between the past and present of the Turkic countries. The President of the Foundation called the decade of the Summit of the Heads of the Turkic States a vivid example of unwavering brotherhood in the modern era.

Gunay Afandiyeva also noted that the project includes the common heritage, architecture, national costumes, traditions and other elements of the Turkic world. She stressed that the exhibition is also dedicated to significant anniversaries celebrated this year in the Turkic world, including the 100th anniversary of Azerbaijan's National leader Heydar Aliyev, the 800th anniversary of Sultan Beybars, the 830th anniversary of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the 95th anniversary of the outstanding Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov. The president of the Foundation emphasized that the event symbolizes the pride given to the Turkic world by Azerbaijan, which returned Karabakh, and the Republic of Türkiye, which completed the centenary with honor.

The opening of the exhibition was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan-Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for external affairs Erzhan Kazykhan, Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Omuraliyev, President of the Turkic Academy Shahin Mustafayev, President of the Turkic Investment Fund Baghdad Amreyev, representative of Azerbaijan at the Organization of Turkic States Council of Elders (Aksakals) Hasan Hasanov and other officials.

At the end, the participants got acquainted with the exhibition, which includes photographs reflecting the history and culture of the Turkic peoples.